HAVANA, (Reuters):
CUBA SCOFFED at a U.S. offer of $100,000 in assistance for Cuban hurricane victims yesterday, saying the money was apparently destined for opposition groups on the communist-run island.
The aid was to be sent through independent, nongovernmental organisations to help Cubans hit by Hurricane Wilma, which flooded parts of Havana and western shore areas 10 days ago.
A Cuban Foreign Ministry statement said the U.S. government was trying to use the storm as a pretext to increase funding for "mercenary groups", Havana's favourite label for dissidents it says are on Washington's payroll.
The aid was offered by the U.S. after it withdrew a proposal to send a team of three experts to assess the damage caused by Wilma and see what U.S. assistance Cuba might need.
The State Department announced last week that its longtime ideological foe had accepted U.S. aid for the first time "in memory" by agreeing to receive the assessment team.
President Fidel Castro replied angrily on television that Cuba had never asked for international aid and only accepted the offer of a visit by American damage assessment experts as part of an effort to build up disaster cooperation in the Caribbean.
On Wednesday, the State Department cancelled the offer, accusing Castro of politicising the mission.
Castro, politically at odds with Washington for more than four decades, has turned down offers of hurricane relief from the United States several times. That hasn't stopped him offering Cuban assistance to his powerful neighbour.
Two months ago, Washington did not take up Castro's offer to send 1,500 doctors and tons of medical supplies to the United States after Hurricane Katrina hit the U.S. Gulf Coast.
Cuba said the United States never formally responded to the offer for political reasons, but State Department officials said the help was not needed.
